Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Winging It With You

Title: Winging It With You
Author: Chip Pons
Release Date: June 10, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: Local library then local bookstore.
Would I buy it as a gift for others? Yes, yes, yes.

My Thoughts:

I think many of us have stayed in a relationship because it felt routine, it felt safe and it was what we were used to. Some of us maybe also made ourselves smaller, less loud and different in order to keep that comfort with us.

And when that comfort gets taken away? It can lead to some slightly irrational decisions and then questioning those decisions.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: On Her Terms

Title: On Her Terms
Author: Amy Spalding
Series: Out in Hollywood
Release Date: February 25, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Would I buy it? I’m just waiting for the whole series to come out in hopes there will a boxset or special editions.

God, I love that there’s romance with people who are older than 22. I love it so much. I love it even more because it’s sapphic, and has both lesbian and bi rep for its main characters, and diverse representation amongst the background characters.

I took a while to read this, simply because I love this series so much, and rushing through it makes me super sad while I wait for the next book. It really does. Amy Spalding is a special writer who is on my auto-read list.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: From Paris, with Butter

Title: From Paris, With Butter
Author: Christine DeSalvo
Release Date: October 15, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: HiddenGems ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Would I buy it? Yes, it’s feel good, cozy and delicious.

My Thoughts:

This book, if nothing else, is, at the beginning, a reminder that people should treat their servers better.

Margot is the sunshine in this dynamic, and I can empathize so much with her because the sun is masking genuine grief and anxiety over both loss and her own perceived failures. She is easy to get along with right from the beginning because she, above all else (including herself) loves love and seeing joy in other people. She is a romantic at heart, but not a hopeless one.

Laurent initially is one whole heaping platter of grumpy when we meet him. In the beginning (which I won’t spoil), I actually loathed him. But perhaps every grump, or at least this one, might be hiding a killer ability to cook (but not bake) and some sun behind those gloomy clouds.

This plot was both soft and delicious, much like the meals described in this book. It happens slowly at first, then speeds up without running away with itself. There are conflicts and enough emotion to invest in without creating an overwrought, stretched-out, or boring feeling. I was invested in these two and their lives from the beginning.

Part of that comes from how Margot, Laurent, Yasmine and other characters are written (I’m looking at you, La Croix), and part of it comes from the setting.

I’ve been lucky enough to go to Paris and other parts of France, but this book is a love letter to the city and had me wanting to go back in a way that nothing ever has. My trip there, in all honesty, was a whirlwind (and not a pleasant one), but this book brought to mind the best parts of Paris —its history, its food, its people, and, yes, its romance. You will finish this book wishing you could go, and if only we could all have our very own Margot to guide us.

Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Just Our Luck

Title: Just Our Luck
Author: Denise Williams
Series: N/A
About this Book: Sybil Sweet has always been lucky, but lately she can’t catch a break. After years of bouncing from job to job in search of something that feels right and from man to man in search of something special, Sybil is worried that she’s the directionless, floundering daughter her family thinks she is. All she really wants now is a little financial stability and carb comfort. Lucky for her, she’s got just enough in the bank to buy a lottery ticket, and the late-night donut store is open.

Kiran Anderson put his dreams of becoming a doctor on hold to take over running his family’s bakery, and after fighting a losing battle to save the place, he’s exhausted, broke, and no closer to getting back to school. But when a whirlwind of a woman sweeps in late one night, flirty energy gives way to more…until she runs out, leaving behind her winning lottery ticket.

Lucky for Kiran, his attempt to return the ticket looks like a grand romantic gesture and goes viral, sending sales through the roof. In an effort to keep the store afloat and to convince Sybil’s family she can make good relationship choices, they agree to fake a relationship for three months. Even with hundreds of millions of dollars, finding each other might end up being the sweetest bit of luck for both of them. 

My Thoughts:

This book made me feel good, and to a certain extent, it also made me feel seen. I know what it’s like to be considered dumb, flaky, and a failure. Sometimes it takes some time to get to who you’re meant to be and where you’re meant to be, especially if you have undiagnosed ADHD, and especially if you don’t have someone who believes in you. Especially if you don’t believe in yourself.

I empathize so much with Sybil. She tries her best constantly, but sometimes can’t keep on track and as much as he tries it seems like no one really notices how much she is actually trying. She’s become a funny footnote in her family’s story next to someone who seems perfect.

Kiran is stuck being the person he thinks he should be, rather than who he wants to be, and doing what he thinks he should do, rather than what he can do for himself. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a major sweetheart, but through much of the book I kind of wanted to shake him and tell him to open his eyes. That being said, the two of them do seem to have a better understanding of each other than they initially thought.

There is a host of background characters in this who are amazing, and deserve their own stories.

Denise Williams is always a must-read for me, and should be for you too.

Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave

Title: Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave
Author: Elle Cosimano
Series: Finlay Donovan
TW: Domestic Abuse, Cheating
About this Book: Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go . . . except Finlay’s house, right across the street.

Finlay and Vero have no interest in getting involved in another murder case—or sacrificing either of their bedrooms. After all, they’ve dealt with enough murders over the last four months to last a lifetime and they both would much rather share their beds with someone else.

When the focus of the investigation widens to include Finlay’s ex-husband, Steven, though, Finlay and Vero are left with little choice but to get closer to Mrs. Haggerty and uncover her secrets . . . before the police start digging up theirs. But who will solve the mystery first?

My Thoughts:

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Crash Test

Title: Crash Test
Author: Amy James
Series: N/A
About this Book: Twenty-four-year-old Formula 1 driver Travis Keeping is halfway through an incredible racing season, with the championship well within his sights. But when a massive crash in Formula 2 leaves driver Jacob Nichols in critical condition, Travis’s world is flipped upside down. No one knows, but he and Jacob have been dating for almost a year.

Now the only boy he’s ever loved is clinging to life, his F1 team can’t understand why his performance is faltering, and he’s locked in a cold war with Jacob’s parents, who want him as far away from their son as humanly possible. Travis is sure everything will get better when Jacob wakes up, but he soon realizes he’s underestimated Jacob’s parents’ influence on their son.

As the F1 season barrels on, Travis and Jacob find themselves alone and miserable on opposite sides of the globe. But with some new friends by their sides, both drivers will be pushed outside of their comfort zones and onto a journey of self-discovery—one that just might lead them back to each other in the end.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood and Boyfriends

Title: The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood and Boyfriends
Author: Jamie D’Amato
Series: N/A
TW: Attempted Suicide, anxiety and depression.
About this Book: It’s only natural nineteen-year-old Brennan’s life would be upended by something as ridiculous and unexpected as turning into a vampire. But if there’s one thing Brennan can do, it’s pretend everything’s fine when he’s close to losing his mind. Brennan has just clawed his way back to Sturbridge University after recovering from a suicide attempt, and this is not the new life he was hoping for.

Brennan’s newly bloodthirsty existence gets way more complicated when Cole, the super cute librarian and everyone’s campus crush, stumbles on Brennan drinking from a stolen blood bag. Luckily, adorable Cole is happy to keep Brennan’s secret, and even seems to maybe like him? Navigating a new relationship is hard enough without the added struggles of vampire puberty, an eclectic clan of self-proclaimed “good” vampires, and growing feelings for the one person who makes Brennan feel normal. With swirling rumors of a missing student and a rise in strange “animal attacks” near campus, Brennan must uncover the secrets of the clan and figure out how to balance vampirism and humanity, or risk losing the first real friends he’s ever had.

My Thoughts:

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

Title: Death at Morning House
Author: Maureen Johnson
TW: Talk of eugenics, not the main character.
About this Book: The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist.

With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition.

Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?

Maybe this job isn’t such a gift after all. Morning House has a horrific secret that’s been buried for decades, and now the person who brought her here is missing.

All it takes is one clue to set off a catastrophic chain of events. One small detail, just like a spark, could burn it all down—if someone doesn’t bury Marlowe first.

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Book List 2025 · Lists · Reviews

Review: Dream Girl Drama

Title: Dream Girl Drama
Author: Tessa Bailey
Series: Big Shots
Release Date: February 4, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: My bookshelf.
Would I buy it for someone else? Absolutely

My Thoughts?

How much do I love a Tessa Bailey book? Let me count the ways (all the ways). This book, the third in the Big Shots series, involved two characters I had been hoping to get more information about from the get-go.

Yes, I’m talking about Sig Gauthier and Chloe Clifford. The “tough as nails” hockey player, and the girl who everyone underestimates.

These two could not be more different and maybe that’s why I love them so much. Sig drives an old vehicle which is constantly threatening to break down and Chloe has grown up never knowing what public transit might be like.

Sig is a big softie when it comes to her, when he should be firm, and firm when he should be soft (not in that way, although…)

Chloe is learning how to do things without her mother, who, to be honest, needs to learn how to loosen the reigns on her wild-hearted child. She is the epitomy of living through your child and god, I hated her so much.

Will everyone like Chloe? No, probably not, but I definitely had a soft spot for her. Did I identify with her? No, but it was really good to see how the other half lives, and what it could be like to no longer be able to do so.

Can’t lie, the plot of step-siblings feeling romantic feelings toward each other will always make me think of Clueless, and I’m not even mad about it. Is it taboo? Yes. Do these two deserve to be together more than their parents do? Yes. (Sorry, Chloe’s mom.)

This book is an easy read, and the banter is always world class when it comes to Tessa Bailey, and I’m so glad these two got their day in print.

And as with all Tessa Bailey books, this was spicy af.

Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Trigger Warning: Abandonment, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, mentions of eating disorders, sexual assault and harassment,

About this book:

Survival. Of the fittest. The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program – or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan – or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up? Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness.

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